Poems aren't Letters

The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read The Firefly Letters which despite its title is not written in letter form at all. It is written in free verse poetry. I thought it was beautifully written but not a book that should be classified as a biography. The author's notes clarify the true parts of the novel but I didn't see how it was necessary to invent an entire character for a biography. It is one thing to create a description for a biography that while based on reality may have a couple inaccuracies and another thing entirely to create an entire character that didn't exist in reality. I am a proponent of accuracy in books that are listed as biographies or non-fiction. It only makes sense that if you are writing about a topic that is a true story you would strive to keep it as accurate as possible.

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